New Braunfels, TX Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Restricted spot
- Gruene Street Low Water Bridge
- Restricted hours
- 6:00 a.m. to midnight
- Restricted days
- Sat/Sun/holidays, Easter Sat. to Labor Day
- Rescue exception
- Rescuing a drowning swimmer/canoeist/rafter
- Penalty
- Up to $200.00 fine, misdemeanor
- Governing section
- City Code § 126-302(d),(g)
Summary
New Braunfels bans standing, sitting or loitering on the Gruene Street Low Water Bridge over the Guadalupe River during tubing season under Code of Ordinances § 126-302(d). The restriction runs 6:00 a.m. to midnight on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from the Saturday before Easter through Labor Day. Rescuers responding to a drowning swimmer are exempt, and violators face up to a $200.00 fine.
(d)It is an offense and a violation of this section for any person to be jumping from, standing on, sitting on, or loitering on the Gruene Street Low Water Bridge over the Guadalupe River between 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight, Saturday, Sunday and any legal holiday from the Saturday prior to Easter through Labor Day of each and every year; however, a person does not violate this section, nor is it an offense, if such person is in the act of rescuing any swimmer, canoeist or rafter who is in danger of drowning. ... (g)Any person who shall violate any provision of this section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine not to exceed $200.00.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 36).
Full Breakdown
Section 126-302 regulates pedestrian behavior on roadways, bridges and waterways generally, but subsections (d) and (e) single out the Gruene Street Low Water Bridge, a crossing over the Guadalupe River that draws heavy foot traffic from tubers, kayakers and sightseers during the river recreation season. and 12:00 midnight on Saturdays, Sundays and any legal holiday, running from the Saturday before Easter through Labor Day each year, the same window the Comal and Guadalupe river corridors see peak tubing and rafting traffic. Subsection (e) pairs with it to bar entering, diving, wading, swimming, exiting or otherwise engaging in aquatic activity from or off the same bridge during the identical hours and season.
Both subsections carry the same carve-out: a person does not violate the section if they are in the act of rescuing a swimmer, canoeist or rafter in danger of drowning. Subsection (f) extends a related but broader ban to jumping, diving or doing 'any other dangerous act' into any lake, river, stream or waterway from any publicly owned bridge, street, appurtenance or right-of-way, and from trees, platforms, high banks or dams along public property, again with the same rescue exception. 00.
Violations & Fines
Any violation of § 126-302, including loitering on the Gruene Street Low Water Bridge during the restricted hours, is a misdemeanor under subsection (g) punishable by a fine up to $200.00 per offense. New Braunfels police and river-district patrols typically enforce the bridge closure heaviest on peak tubing weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day, when foot traffic on the low-water crossing is highest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sit on the Gruene Street Low Water Bridge during tubing season?
Is swimming off the low water bridge allowed?
Is there an exception if someone is drowning near the bridge?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in New Braunfels
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